The Silhouette and The Forge
Chapter 26
At that revelation and whatever just got dropped on me, whatever sound was in the gym had all but gone away as if some great predator had appeared and nothing wanted its attention.
Jade herself tried to put on a brave front but I could see the fear she tried desperately to hide.
“That’s what I thought. Jade, I will pay you what you need and you can get your sister out of town while you can.” I say getting up out of my seat only to stop dead in my tracks by what she says next.
“What are the jobs?” She says as I turn and see a determined look on her face. Far more so than ever before she sat up straighter almost looking like she was going to charge at me from that chair.
“First off, you are not obligated to do these jobs. Do you understand that?” I say more firmly since the kid gloves don’t seem nearly as necessary now with what is going on inside Jade's head.
“Of course. I am not an idiot!” She snaps at me and despite the intensity of it I take no offense.
I simply nod my head, remaining calm to not escalate things. “Never said you were and please calm it down.” At my emphasis on being calm she manages to relax if only slightly, “With you landing those hits that you did has shown to me you have reached high enough for you to be eligible for the jobs to fight against the Court.”
Her posture is guarded and despite how compared to before she seems more prepared for it but there is still a tension and fear in her about dealing with them. I don’t get it but I am not a native Gothamite. I didn’t grow up on the stories of the Court like she and every other person who calls this city their home.
The Court was their boogeyman in the shadows that every child's parent told them stories of to get them to listen and do as they were told. I couldn’t understand that since the only thing that did to me was watching Chucky when I was five when I shouldn’t have.
“You are not obligated and you can back out at anytime you want,” My stern look made her think twice about what she was going to say next as she visibly relaxed and swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue, “And you will not be alone when on the job dealing with them. Regardless if you are here for it or not I am going to help in dealing with them.”
Whatever thing was going on with Jade fades away as she snaps out of it and she registers what I just said.
“Daniel, you're going to try and fight the Court?” She says in disbelief.
“Well of course. I can hold my own considering I have helped train and teach you and you only just now managed to get a few hits on me while I am still holding back. You Gothamites and your obsession with being intimidated by legends that just don’t live up to the hype.” I say with a chuckle shaking my head.
Jade sputters in disbelief before looking offended, “We do not obsess over that! And what do you mean that they don’t live up to the hype?! They massacred nearly every gang or person out in the bloodiest gang war this city has seen who were armed to the teeth and filled with those super drugs.”
I can only chuckle before it turns into a full guffaw as she clenches her hands and grits her teeth yet the confused look in her eyes just adds to the laughter bubbling up and out of me.
“What do you find so funny about this Daniel?” She asks, her voice cracking in exasperation at what is happening.
Welcome to my world in figuring you out Jade I could only think to myself as the laughter calmed down enough for me to speak, “Because Jade the Court is just as I said. They are intimidating to you and everyone else because of their legend. Just like Batman they use fear tactics to make themselves look bigger, almost unstoppable to you guys.”
At my words, she at first looks ready to argue and goes to speak before stopping looking deep in thought and thinking it over. “That’s right, use the most important muscle, Jade. Think about the night that the Court came out, they did so after most of the heavy fighting was finished and the gangs and Batman were at their weakest.”
I am feeding her false information but even without it she more than likely would have come to that conclusion herself had it not been for her fear of them consuming her. Despite how I view them when compared to what I have in my arsenal I cannot take them lightly.
Simply because of them having been in contact with the magical side of the universe makes them something I take far more seriously. Enough to not fully tip my hand I have to be more sneaky about subverting them. Light and the rest of the engineers have shown that when it comes to magic they can’t comprehend it.
And I as a result may have to get in contact with them. Not just because of my capabilities with magic to further grow them but because I will in the end need access to what resources I can when I clash with other magic users. At least have something to make it so they can’t find me as easily and hide from them.
I haven’t made any attempts to date to try and get in contact with the magical underworld through my connections simply because of what happened with my drugs to normal people. If my runes or potions prove to be something incredibly powerful to people like them then I run the risk of doing the same thing I did with the gang war.
Except with magic.
Not that it is going to stop me from eventually finding the magical community and making deals if I want a chance at handling the powerhouses that use magic.
In the time it took me to think through all of that Jade herself had realized what I wanted her to. Not that it was wrong but it wasn’t the truth either.
Her eyes widened voicing her thoughts aloud, “They picked everyone off when they were at their weakest. They use fear like Batman to make themselves seem invincible.”
“Another important detail, why would they pick everyone off if they were at their weakest? Why not when the fighting was at the peak of the war?”
“Because they either don’t have the numbers or they lack the power necessary to take on everyone at once…” She says in a whisper trailing off.
“Bingo. You got it.” I say snapping my fingers.
“Always remember this Jade, fear can make things seem far worse than they truly are. For all Batman is capable of, he is ultimately just a human man under that suit. Compared to people like Superman or Wonder Woman he is mundane.”
Jade soaked those words up like a sponge just as she had every lesson given to her before following me as I went back to the sparring ring further into the building.
“Even though he should be capable of taking the two of them down with some effort.” She says beside me as she enters the ring.
“With some effort, she says like it’s an easy task taking down an alien that could casually destroy this city with his heat vision alone or a woman from an ancient warrior society that could cut through diamonds with her sword so fast that only Superman could see it.” I say scoffing at her ‘counter’.
“Wait, Wonder Woman could do that?” Jade asks, showing a lot of interest.
“Yeah? I mean considering the crazy things the Greek gods got up to in legends and she is tied to them and has openly acknowledged that her gods are real, why couldn’t she?”
“Eh fair enough. Still, find it hard to believe her gods are real…” She says putting on her gloves as I do the same as we go through the sparring match trying to go for hits on the other. Nothing that we were doing before since this is about training her reaction time and speed.
Mostly getting her used to dealing with opponents who are much stronger and far faster than her. A couple of hours later sees us both walking out of the building about to go our separate ways.
“Send me a text if you are interested in those jobs Jade. Remember-”
“That I am not obligated. I know, but I am not leaving without paying you back in some way, especially when I don’t do handouts.” She says before turning around and walking away.
Just as she reached the corner she turned back to me, “Thanks, Daniel.”
I merely smiled and gave her a two-finger salute before making my way back to the clinic and seeing the building. After reaching it half an hour later I saw a decent line of people waiting outside, several of which perked up seeing me walking up. Having plenty to do with my current schedule I can always check out whatever it was that had been gained.
Moving faster, seeing several have bandages with blood coming through as I greet each of them listing off the rules and making the worst cases get to me first which many of those who had decided to repay me by helping organize people and keeping them from fighting when Jade wasn’t around to help.
Several of the rougher crowd learned real quick that it wasn’t just me they had to worry about if they caused trouble after Jade manhandled several of them and even knocked a few out after they wouldn’t back down and had tried to use a weapon.
Taking the bloody gloves and placing them in the disposal bin, the man who had several shards of glass in him from a TV of all things getting thrown at him has the shards in a tub as clean stitches line his right shoulder.
“And remember, if you have any sharp pains that feel like that glass is digging into you, come back to me, or better yet head to the Thompson Clinic since they would have the equipment to better find the pieces.”
“Appreciate it, kid. Now I just need to find that son of a bitch brother-in-law of mine and teach him a lesson about saying the Gotham Knights are overrated.”
He mutters the last part but everyone still hears him as I can only shake my head at the man probably coming back sooner than expected to my clinic.
“Alright next up is… Lucille.” I say aloud as an older black woman with gray hair comes into the room as she walks with a cane but grimaces each step with her left foot as she favors her right.
Sighing as I look at Lucille and her son Jerome helping her into the room, “Lucille you have to go to a proper doctor about this…” I say bringing up the same topic I have to her multiple times in the past when she needs a new cast with a few home remedy painkillers that help her.
“I keep tellin’ her that Daniel but she won’t listen…” Jerome says as he warily glances at her and the frown she sends his way that he tries to avoid.
“And with what money do you suppose we have that can pay for that?” His mother says back to him as her head is fully facing him now as he shifts awkwardly trying to not fidget under her stern look.
“I get you don’t have the money but you mean to tell me not a single hospital in Gotham won’t take you in if you can’t pay?” I ask with genuine curiosity.
In my old life, regardless if you could pay for it you could get life-saving treatment, though you will be in debt after the fact but at least you are alive. Plus it’s not like most people weren’t already in debt so what’s a lot more added to the pile?
“You are a gem dear but you still are ignorant of our fair city and how we are treated by it. No, none of them will. Unless it is life-threatening and even then they will try to pull something on you, never mind something like my leg.”
So a much worse health care system than the old one I dealt with. That’s just horrible that they somehow managed to have an even worse system than the one I left behind.
“And unlike most people in this city, I and my son have managed to escape having any debts hanging over our heads like most unfortunately have happened to them. If we go into debt we cannot afford it, we would lose far too much.”
Checking over her leg making sure she hasn’t made it any worse which she has not after applying pressure to it after signaling for her to let me know where it hurts.
“You can’t go to the Thompson Clinic?” I say crouching down noting where the minor fracture is and mapping it out in my head.
Even though I have no means to do more thorough scans I can still get a rough estimate if it has gotten worse and courtesy of perfect memory I will know if it does.
Jerome gives his mom the side eye that reeks of I told you so energy.
“I… would rather not.”
Glimpsing at her son as he gives me a look before shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head at how odd she is being.
“I hope you have a good reason for not wanting to go to that clinic but I won’t pry for that is your reason and yours alone. Alright well that should be all then Lucille so try your best to stay off of it and keep using the remedy I gave you. That is still helping right?” I say to her finishing up the last of the check up.
“Yes, it is still helping…” She says trailing off mid-sentence as I glance up at her and then her son seeing them both stare at the doorway to the room as I then look over and see a white haired older woman that looks to be in her late fifties maybe early sixties as her stern stare sweeps across the room like a spotlight over a warzone.
“Ma’am I am currently busy with a patient and the next one needs care so unless your situation is life-threatening I would ask that you wait in the hallway.” I say to her calmly, not in the mood for someone's crap of having a cold or thinking it warrants them cutting ahead of the line over anyone else who is in a life-or-death situation.
The woman looks at me like I grew a second head while Jerome and Lucille both look on in disbelief.
“Uh… Daniel, you don’t know who she is?” Jerome says with a wince looking like he does not know what to do right now.
“No, I don’t.” I say back honestly as it gets a huff out of the older woman who stares me down coming into my office and medical center.
“Well let me introduce myself. Leslie Thompson who you just spoke of young man. Lucille you better have a good reason why you are avoiding my clinic and getting treatment from a boy,” She says looking at me and giving a glare that rivaled Uncle Furgus’s, “Who should be at school right now and not running an illegal back alley clinic.”
Lucille winces but manages to pass it off better than her son Jerome as she quietly excuses herself saying her goodbyes along with Jerome who helps her leave despite her leg being in the shape that it is I don’t think I have seen her move that fast before.
“Don’t think this is over Lucille, I will see you in my clinic by the end of the week even if I have to drag you there. Am I understood?” She says in a no nonsense attitude and I even hear Lucille promising she will.
“Next patient!” I say as George, a former Paratrooper in Vietnam walks up hesitantly seeing the now known Leslie Thompson standing just past the doorway.
Glancing between me and her he simply questions if it was a good idea to step into the room after she silenced everyone in the hallway without saying a word with how much she means business.
“Sir, how bad are your injuries?” Leslie asks him as he looks between her and me showing his scar on his right arm looking inflamed.
She sighs pinching the bridge of her nose before waving him inside as he takes a seat.
“Last I checked, since when did you have any authority in my clinic?” I say in a clipped tone already finding this to be a growing headache.
“When I found out a child is doing dangerous work that could risk people’s lives when he is playing at being a doctor.” She responds in an even tone.
I merely chuckle and shake my head, “Who's playing at being a Doctor?”
“You. You should be in school and not doing this! And if you mess up one thing on helping this man-”
“George.”
“What?” Her question is laced with both concern and annoyance at me cutting her off.
“His name is George, and he has some amazing stories of his time in Vietnam.”
George smiles a little at my comment before Leslie glances at him and continues, “Alright, George here has something wrong with him. I am giving you a chance to prove what I have heard is true. If you make hiim worse or do something wrong this clinic is getting shut down and I will drag you out of here kicking and screaming if I have to.”
I merely stared her down while going through the motions of helping George, never once bothering to acknowledge her threat. George and several other patients who had been listening in looked like they wanted to say something to her about this but I gestured for them to stand down.
She can try to shut me down but it will fail as far as I am concerned since I will just open another clinic up.
George goes over what he has been feeling and how the scar has gotten worse with the red around the edges. Noting how he talked about it, if he got it warm the pain would go away for a while but if it got cold it hurt like hell.
“You got it infected George.” I tell him getting straight to the point as he grimaces. “Have you been keeping it clean like I told you to?”
“Well you see…” He says trying to find an answer to give me but I know he doesn’t have one.
“Alright I am going to give you some remedies that are natural antibiotics I have whipped up that should help kill the infection. Take these three here and the one with the green lid is the strongest of the three.” I say handing the man the antibiotics with Leslie drilling holes through me as she looks at my prescription.
“I will be the judge of that!” Leslie says grabbing the three bottles out of George’s hands as I swiftly stand about having had enough of this and ready to toss her out myself by hand.
Poor George simply looks up at Leslie, not angry, simply looking like he has accepted that this just happened and he can’t for some reason do anything about it.
“Alright now let’s see about this strongest one— oh good lord what is that smell?!” She pulls her head back after slightly taking the cap off of the strongest one as her face and George’s scrunch up.
Leslie more than George since he has had to use the strongest one before after a nasty gunshot and he used it to prevent infection.
It still has a pungent smell to it since it is using garlic as the basis for it by taking parts of it and a few other things added in, particularly the compounds that react to thiol groups in bacteria and fungi.
“That’s… Garlic.” She manages to get out putting the cap back on the container as she waves her hand around her face to get the smell away.
“Yes, Garlic. You know one of nature's natural antibiotics.” I deadpanned at her.
“I know about Garlic and its uses for medicine.” She gets between coughs before finally turning to me and giving me to my surprise a respectful nod.
“What did you use in it and can George here along with others verify it is effective?” She says looking at George and glancing at the people who quickly hide behind the doorway as if we couldn’t see their faces a moment prior as they watched the show happening in this room.
Listing off of the ingredients along with several people beyond George vouching for the antibiotics with those who had used them. I doubted Leslie fully believed it but seemed willing to give them a chance since everyone and I mean everyone found a backbone when she was skeptical of how well they worked.
After several more patients and them being tense with Leslie being there watching everything like a hawk. I simply let her since she seemed to settle down as she watched me work with a critical eye but never once scolded me or criticized me working with my patients.
Even going so far as to ease the tension by cracking my Gotham famous jokes. The only downside is my audience only seems to groan or chuckle in an embarrassed way.
Leslie herself even had a smile that was something you would see on someone when they are feeling embarrassed for someone else.
“Oh come on I give you comedy gold and you squander it!” I say throwing my hands up in mock agitation.
“More like fools gold.” A man says in the hallway that has everyone laughing even getting a chuckle out of Leslie who by this point has given up any attempts to look like the scary grandma.
After an hour and half the last of the patients are taken care of with Leslie watching me sanitize the room even taking a few things and helping me with it to my surprise.
“Don’t let this go to your head, but you are the first back-alley clinic I have seen with some integrity and has a medic with a surprising amount of talent. Where are you going to school?” She says without looking up from the floor as she puts some elbow grease into a particularly stubborn spot on the floor.
“Gotham University. And that’s high praise coming from you Dr. Thompson.” I say going through the used tools and instruments making sure to clean every single one that can be used again before placing each one inside of a tub filled with solution to neutralize anything that may cling to them still.
Despite her disrupting my clinic temporarily she seemed to clue in on me knowing what I am doing and backed off to an extent even if she doesn’t like it for personal reasons or whatever goes through her head. I in turn do respect her simply because she is a legend in her own right.
A no nonsense doctor that has saved countless lives and is willing to face down even supervillains when it comes to treating her patients. So despite what she thinks is the right thing to do even though it isn’t she has my respect for all that she has done.
She merely snorts at my comment, “Don’t let it go to your head kid. Rather surprised that someone your age managed to get into Gotham University, but then again you have shown you are rather knowledgeable when it comes to medical care and you have hands-on experience beyond just knowing what a book told you.”
I merely chuckle before responding, “All of this did come from books.” Before she could say anything with the frown and glare directed at me I continued, “But unlike others who merely read and regurgitate it I took the time to comprehend and understand it. Unlike others who see fit to squander or abuse their gifts and knowledge I had chosen to use it to help others.”
For a long moment she simply stared into my eyes. Not glaring, but searching. For what I don’t know. Maybe to see if I am lying, since to her a kid with this knowledge could have done so many other things with it none of them good.
After what felt like a small eternity she found whatever she was looking for and nodded at me, “Don’t get in over your head especially when you don’t have proper equipment to help treat people. I will be taking these and examining them.” She holds the three bottles that she had taken from George.
Just glad everyone did what they did or I doubt she would let me give him another three.
“If I find out they can harm or do nothing for a patient you and I will have words and far more after that. Am I understood?”
A smirk forms on my face, “Understood.” I say as she walks away before I decide to give a jab back, “You do realize I can always open another clinic and there is not much you can do about it.”
She stops dead in her tracks and merely looks back at me as I simply stare back without a care in the world. “I doubt you will think that when I bring Commissioner Gordon to handle you.”
A laugh escaped me as I clapped at the boldness of bringing him into this of all people but it doesn’t bother me simply because it won’t stop me. I enjoy helping these people and a warm feeling takes form in my chest when I think of how proud both Dad and Furgus would be of me.
It’s why I need that medical degree so I can be a real doctor and not a back alley doctor. Leslie merely looked on at me before all but stomping out of my clinic looking like she wishes so much to discipline me.
Sure I respect her but after the little stunt she pulled in my clinic that takes a backseat. Sure she thought I was some scam artist or other more horrific things that exist in this city but she got to witness I know what I am doing.
So even though her heart was in the right place I won’t tolerate someone like her pulling stunts like this.
Glancing down at the timer on my contacts seeing it’s close to time I finish up with what is left to do in the clinic before locking everything up before knowledge is poured into my head like hot soup inside of a bowl as I stumble and brace myself against a wall.
Memories of a young hedge mage named Dannyel as he used his talents in harnessing natural magic with small charms to help his village. The same village his mother had moved to after his father had passed and they needed a source of income and some protection since the more… unnatural elements of the forest had begun to act up.
A few years go by and his mother passed away from an illness made from the supernatural elements of their world with nothing mundane or what he could provide could save her. He took it to heart the ache deep within to not wish that powerlessness on anyone as he was forced to watch his mother fade away.
Despite the villagers trepidation towards anything supernatural or different from their view of the world they had over time come to accept them despite all of that after seeing they meant no harm and had helped many of them and their families.
Speaking with the village chief he had let him use his charms to harness the natural magic around the area to help protect them from the creatures of the forest who had begun to stir and were getting closer and closer to the village. He even managed to help several villagers with his charms as they helped bring sleepful nights or lighten the mood in the household.
Little things that could help make life just a little more bearable. One such project he was aiming to do was to create an obelisk of rock to ensure the creatures never got far enough to the village and the villagers were not stuck inside of the village walls all their lives.
By this point in his life the villagers had accepted him as one of their own and some were helping him carefully craft the obelisk. Or they were until several enforcers of the faith had decided to finally send aid to the village only after far too many years had gone by with no help ever given.
A few words were exchanged with the chief and they began tearing down the obelisk as I and those that helped me understood why we couldn’t let them take it down and the danger of doing so. Piece by painful piece they did and screamed and yelled before being beaten down to the ground and the rest of the village merely watched on.
With one last heave it toppled to the ground sending a wave of green edged with an oily black out across the village rattling doors and windows. The men of the faith then turned to me and those who had aided me with one taking out a sword.
Before they could get any further with their execution of us heretics, the consequences of taking down the obelisk without the proper methods to do so had come for us all. A chorus of inhuman screeches and roars told us all the unnatural beasts of the forest know the village is no longer protected.
“You did this you heretics! You will burn for your— what?!” The leader of the church’s men rants to us spittle flying from his yellowed teeth only to look over as the village walls collapse splintering in a shower of wood before the houses fall apart as horrifying abominations pluck out the villagers eating them alive or the luckier ones dead.
The men apprehending and holding us to the ground shake in fear seeing and hearing the screams before letting go and running away.
“Stop! Where do you cowards think you are going?!” The older man screams at them waving his hands before a thump he and I turn as a creature like a toad stood taller than any of the houses with its fat boil filled belly being all that we see before it unhinges its jaw and a slimy tongue comes out of its mouth.
Saliva hits the ground making it sizzle like meat on a skillet. The tongue comes down as the man, despite his limbs shaking, screams a war cry running at it with his sword before the snakes out with the end of it opening up showing a maw filled with yellowed fang like teeth. Each tooth as long as my arm.
The man’s battle cry instead becomes a scream of agony as the tongue bites into his waist as he slashes at it with his sword before the tongue now having a few cuts with green blood coming out wraps around the man and with a sickening crunch end his screams of terror and pain.
Turning to run as after realizing I had been watching like a fool in terror before stopping seeing a hoard of small flying figures with wings like a dragonfly. Eyes widened in terror at the tooth fairy’s as they swarm me and it all goes black seeing small needle filled mouths going for my eyes.
Blinking as I get up off the floor feeling a wetness from my nose. Pulling a finger back and seeing blood. Then it registers on what I had witnessed and what I had gained.
Despite the shaking in my limbs at those memories I am Grinning like a madman as I have gained something that would somewhat invalidate some of the things I needed from the magical community but not all of it.
Despite this being completely different from almost every other power or boon I had gained, the only one being similar was my perfect memory, I don’t take time to rest since I have important matters to handle and this opportunity is too good to pass up.
Getting back up having somewhat recovered I swiftly entered the workshop and let Heli do her magic as I have a party to attend at the Wayne Manor.
Perks gained: Natural magic (Ravenwood) (400CP)
People are not the only things afflicted with the corruptive influence of the Demiplane, the trees, the stone, the metal, everything possesses some degree of taint from this cursed plane of existence. And now you can use that to your advantage. You possess an innate understanding towards the mystical properties of nearly all materials within (and outside) the Demiplane, and how to shape them. By cutting gems, forming metal, grinding stone, and putting all the disparate pieces together, you can create artificial spell matrices that naturally generate and collect magical energies and can shape them into spell effects. While not often the prettiest things around, these artifacts are capable of granting magic to even the uninitiated. However, it takes precise craftsmanship and extensive design periods to make even basic items.
This perk also extends to the creation of potions. These are much simpler to create compared to artifacts, requiring only the right herbs, water, and a catalyst of magical energy, which can be provided by even the most basic of spell matrices. Additionally, any similar skills in future jumps, can be replicated with study using this perk.
Meet Leslie Thompkins +50
Earned Leslie Thompkins respect +50